The Scottish Government has been urged to end “poverty wages” in the arts as an independent report raised concerns about unpaid work and exploitation in the industry.
An independent “fair work” taskforce has called for full transparency on rates of pay, including full and part-time salaries under a drive to tackle the number of workers struggling with “precarious” finances.
The group, which was instigated by the government, has demanded that arts jobs should not be advertised with salaries under £28,000 a year to ensure the “basic survival” of artists and others working in the creative industries.
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The fair work report also raises concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the income of art workers and has warned that AI should not be used by organisations and employers to “replace creative jobs.”
It has suggested the government agency Creative Scotland, which provides long-term funding to more than 260 organisations, is “best placed” to lead the enforcement of fair work conditions in the industry.
One trade union said the report was a potential game-changer" for the Scottish arts industry and has called for the government to ensure there is "zero tolerance enforcement of fair work across the industry.
Creative Scotland, the National Theatre, Museums and Galleries Scotland, Culture Counts, Creative Scotland, the Scottish Music Industry Association and theatre companies Birds of Paradise were among the arts organisations on the taskforce, has published proposals for a "fair worker charter".
Unions and other organisations involved include Equity, Bectu, Prospect, the Scottish Artists Union, the Musicians’ Union and the Society of Authors.
The report highlighted recent research by the Scottish Trade Union Congress on “worker exploitation” in the Scottish arts industry, which found that one in three freelances had not been paid for work and more than two thirds had been affected by late payments.
The report wants “minimum income standards” for artists and arts workers to be embedded in the new fair work charter that organisations and employers would be urged to sign up to.
A number of organisations have already backed an STUC pledge committing support for fair work and conditions, including the Scottish Book Trust, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Creative Edinburgh, Ayr Gaiety, Dundee Rep, Perth Concert Hall, the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock, and theatre companies A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Birds of Paradise Theatre, Wonder Fooll and Vanishing Point.
The report from the Culture Fair Work Taskforce states: “A living wage for artists, creatives, writers, musicians, craft makers and all types of creative practitioner will enable them to work on their creative work rather than having to supplement their income with part-time work, freelance work and other seasonal work.
"That has a negative impact on their mental health and well-being by earning poverty wages from their creative income because that work is neither valued nor properly compensated. Individual workers often have a precarious relationship with the benefits system.
“Across multiple sectors within the creative industries artists, creative and creative practitioners are living on poverty wages. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggests the current minimum income standard for the United Kingdom is £28,000 a year.
“No job or pro rata opportunity should be advertised at a rate lower than this for basic survival.
“Organisations and companies that are publicly funded, should be transparent about their funding, income, and rates of pay including full and part-time salaries. No company or organisation should advertise roles below fair rates of pay and remuneration that is industry standard as set by union pay rate and rate cards.”
The report calls for “paying humans and prioritising artist-led work” to be embedded in the fair work in the arts charter to “build capacity within the cultural sector workforce, encourage new arts and cultural sector workers, as well as maintain the integrity of cultural work and practice in Scotland”.
It adds: “This includes protecting intellectual property rights and artists’ work at all times. Where it is more cost effective not to hire a human being to complete work, we ask ourselves at what cost? Those costs are human, economic, ethical, and environmental costs to the arts worker as well as the sector as a whole.
“The current threat to the creative workforce and creative economy includes the pirating of arts workers, artists, and creative workers' intellectual property to train artificial intelligence and machine learning without these human owners’ consent. There is a role for artificial intelligence and machine learning, but this role cannot be predicated on theft.”
Roz Foyer, general secretary of the STUC, said: "If enacted correctly, this report could be a game-changer for Scotland’s creative and freelance workers.
"The report makes explicitly clear that creative unions have driven the recommendations of this report. Workers in their thousands have demanded change and we shouldn’t be shy in highlighting their wins.
"This report, representative of Scotland’s freelance and creative workers, cannot be ignored by Scottish Government ministers.
"From here, we need strict Fair Work conditionality attached to funding and a zero-tolerance enforcement of fair work throughout the sector.
“The genie is out the bottle. As we approach the election, ministers should be cognisant of their responsibilities to Scotland’s creative workers now that this report makes clear the tribulations they face just trying to earn a living.”
Briana Pegado, chair of the Culture Fair Work Taskforce, which was set up by the government last year, said: “There has been a real commitment to crafting a set of recommendations that speak to areas as broad as fair pay and remuneration to the impact of AI on the cultural sector workforce.
“Considerations of equity and inclusion as well as how fair work may be enforced are all part of our recommendations. I am confident that many of our recommendations signal radical, innovative solutions to fair work that will help Scotland reach its ambitions to be a Fair Work Nation by 2030.
“Models across the continent have been considered and approaches across different industries have been reviewed. I am confident that our recommendations and draft charter prove to be a roadmap for the future of fair work that demonstrates a real appetite for systemic change can exist alongside practical solutions grounded in deeply embedded partnership working.”
Culture secretary Angus Robertson said: “I am very grateful to members of the independent Taskforce for their work on this report, which identifies a number of areas for improvement when it comes to how Fair Work is embedded in Scotland’s creative industries.
“I will take time to carefully consider the detail of the recommendations for the Scottish Government and will update the Scottish Parliament in due course on the actions we will take in response.
“Given that some would intersect with reserved legislation, I will also be writing urgently to ask my UK Government counterparts to consider what actions they can take.”
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